News and Events from Around the World
The People Awaken to the Truth
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
News and Events from Around the World
NTDTV: Summary of the Exclusive Interview with Mr. Li Hongzhi, Founder of Falun Gong
An exclusive interview with Mr. Li Hongzhi, founder of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, aired globally at 9:00 p.m. EST January 20, 2004 on New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV). This is the first interview that Mr. Li has granted to media since 1999.
When being asked why he agreed to an interview with NTDTV, Mr. Li said: "New Tang Dynasty TV is different because they dare to report the truth, and they dare to expose things. Particularly when it comes to Falun Gong being persecuted, they dare to boldly report things." He added: "And it doesn't have any political leanings."
In recent years, Mr. Li has seldom appeared in public and has kept a low profile. He said: "As somebody who does self-cultivation, I wouldn't want to get involved in more worldly things." He continued: "In fact, as people who cultivate themselves, all we're asking is to have some space that allows us to follow our beliefs, and to have our personal freedom to do our practice, that's all. We're not after anything beyond that."
When being asked what the reason is that the Chinese Government suppresses Falun Gong, Mr. Li said: "It was in fact jealousy, and it's exactly that jealousy that brought on the persecution." Mr. Li clarified, "When you're in the context of the Chinese Communist Party's political regime, they won't allow you to have so many people, to have so many from the masses, believing in something such as Falun Gong [...] He doesn't care about the suffering of the people. So he couldn't tolerate it -- so many people were taking up Falun Gong, despite the fact that it was good for society, and despite the fact that it was good for the people, all he could see was his own political power."
Last year when Premier Wen Jiabao made official visits abroad, Falun Gong practitioners displayed banners that on the one hand, welcomed Wen on his visit to the U.S., and, on the other, demanded that Jiang Zemin be brought to justice. Why the different stances on the two figures? Mr. Li said: "What we're simply doing is opposing the persecution, and the main thing is we're targeting the chief instigators of the persecution."
When asked if Falun Gong has received any financial support from any governmental agencies in the past four years, Mr. Li said: "From July 20th of 1999 right on up to today, over such a long period of being persecuted, we've never--be it from some government, or even from society, and that includes big corporations--we've never taken a single penny, in fact."
As to those who do not believe these, Mr. Li said: "An average person can't understand those who cultivate themselves. Long ago Christians were persecuted for 300 years, and in those 300 years the persecution they suffered was just ruthless, but it turned out they couldn't defeat them, and instead it only made Christianity flourish. And why is that? When you touch on that question it involves the matter of faith. In our Falun Gong practice, the part of Falun Gong you see before you includes recovering health and some other things, and that part alone makes for a big difference between us and people who don't do self-cultivation."
Mr. Li was asked what the outcome of the persecution will be. He said: "A lot of people have realized that the persecution of Falun Gong has been a massive drain on the national economy [...] So if the government's position on Falun Gong isn't changed, Chinese society has no hope of stability." He continued: "And if the stance on Falun Gong were to be reversed, well, then all the families of the people who were killed in the persecution, the many people whose homes were ransacked, those who were heavily fined, those who were persecuted terribly, and some who were even crippled from all the maltreatment, wouldn't you have to answer to all those people? Then who should be held responsible? I think it should be that wicked ringleader in China who's persecuted Falun Gong. He should be brought to justice. You can see how scared he is when he's faced with the law. He hangs on to money and power with a death grip [...] Actually, a lot of people know this even without hearing me explain it."
Chinese Deputy Consul General Found Guilty in Canadian Court for Libel against Falun Gong Practitioner
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has awarded Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Joel Chipkar damages for libel against a Chinese consular official who stated that the practitioner was a member of a "sinister cult."
On February 3, 2004, Justice Harvey Spiegel awarded Chipkar $1,000 (CAD) in damages and $10,000 for legal costs against Mr. Pan Xinchun, the Deputy Consul General of the People's Republic of China.
Justice Spiegel granted the judgment in the absence of the defendant, who failed to defend the action. The court also heard submission from Chipkar's lawyer, Mr. Peter Downard, that Pan had evaded services of the claim.
Chipkar requested the award of only $1,000 because he wished to make clear that his concern was one of principle and was not about money.
Speaking with reporters after the ruling, Chipkar said, "I am very happy with this decision. For the past four years Chinese officials have called Falun Gong practitioners members of an evil cult as part of the "massive propaganda campaign" reported by Amnesty International... a campaign used to hide their crimes against humanity."
Chipkar continued, "Today, Canadian courts have recognized that calling Falun Gong practitioners 'evil cult' members is illegal. I believe this ruling is the correct classification for the hate propaganda that Chinese officials have spread around the world about Falun Gong as an extension of -- and a veil to divert attention away from -- the genocide that is going on in China right now."
On April 25th, 2003, shortly after the SARS-related death toll in Toronto reached 16, The Toronto Star published a feature letter from Chipkar, a local businessman, expressing his concern over the SARS cover-up that lead to the spread of SARS in Toronto.
On May 1st, 2003, a rebuttal letter by Pan appeared in the same newspaper denying responsibility for the cover-up of SARS and using the situation to accuse Chipkar and other Falun Gong practitioners of having a "hidden purpose" and "ulterior motives." He also labeled Chipkar and Falun Gong practitioners as being members of a "sinister cult."
Downard said that although Pan was a consular official, Pan acted outside of his consular functions in making these public statements. The court agreed, says Downard. "In addition," he added, "[Mr. Pan's] actions were contrary to international law and could not in any event claim any consular immunity in light of that."
Downard further commented, "This ruling sends a clear message that the promotion of China's persecution of Falun Gong in Canada will be condemned by the Canadian courts. I am hopeful [this case] will draw the attention to the community at large to the wrongful promotion of hatred in this country."
Mr. Downard is a litigation partner and lead libel lawyer of Fasken Martineau, a large Canadian law firm.
With U.S Consulate's Help, Charles Li Sends New Year's Greetings from Prison in China
The Chinese New Year, January 22, was American citizen Dr. Charles Li's birthday. It was also the one-year anniversary of his illegal arrest and detention by the Chinese authorities.
A U.S. consular official based in Shanghai visited Charles Li on January 15, bearing birthday and New Year's cards from around the world. The consular official told Ms. Foo that prison officials were going to inspect the cards first before giving them to Mr. Li. The official requested that the cards be immediately turned over to Charles, since it should not take much time at all to inspect them. Charles Li's fiancée Ms. Foo said, "Charles Li asked the consular official to tell me that he remains steadfast and encouraged me to be strong, and to remain confident."
Charles Li also sent New Year's greetings to Master Li Hongzhi and fellow practitioners, and wanted to express his appreciation for all of the support he has received.
Ms. Foo said, "In the process of trying to secure Charles' release, I have met many kind-hearted people who have clearly distinguished between right and wrong. They wanted to give their best wishes to Charles but were afraid that the prison would confiscate their letters, so they sent the cards directly to the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai to be routed to Charles."
When asked about her state of mind and plans for 2004, Ms. Foo said with emotion, "In order to rescue Charles, I have traveled all over the U.S., and the year passed by in a flash. But for Charles, who is enduring mental and physical torture every moment, perhaps this was a long, long year. In 2004, I will continue to persist in my efforts. I firmly believe that the day for Charles to regain his freedom is not far away, because I have seen with my own eyes how more and more people have seen through the lies and propaganda against Falun Gong, and found out the facts for themselves. If everyone all over the world knew the facts, then no one would believe those lies that were fabricated to persecute Falun Gong."
French Minister Delegate for Local Freedoms: Unreasonable Acts Will Not Happen Again
At 4pm local time in Paris, Minister Delegate for Local Freedoms Mr. Patrick Devedjian met with French Falun Dafa Association President Mr. Tang Hanlong at the French Ministry of the Interior. Mr. Devedjian expressed that the unreasonable acts conducted by the police against Falun Gong practitioners will not happen again.
After the meeting Mr. Tang said to Clearwisdom reporters that regarding the incident last week, where French police arbitrarily detained dozens of Falun Gong practitioners for a short time during the Chinese New Year Parade on Champs Elysees, Mr. Devedjian expressed: "The French government and people all know that Falun Gong practitioners are peaceful people, and the unreasonable acts taken against Falun Gong practitioners last week by French police will not happen again."
Mr. Tang told the reporters that he had expressed his dissatisfaction with Minister Delegate Devedjian, and believes that the police's unreasonable acts damaged the values of freedom, equality and fraternity, which are principles cherished by the French people. At the same time, it damaged the image of France as a country that safeguards democracy and human rights.
Mr. Tang continued, "I also told Minister Delegate Devedjian that the French police's actions may be used by the Jiang regime's media to further deceive the people of China and escalate the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, and this is something that would be intolerable to Falun Gong practitioners and those who uphold justice all over the world."
Member of European Parliament: "Extending The Persecution To France Is Not Acceptable"
Member of the European Parliament Roger Helmer wrote a letter on January 23rd to the Ambassador of the French Embassy in England regarding the incident in which Falun Gong practitioners were stopped from joining the Chinese New Year celebration parade in Paris. It was said that the French Falun Dafa Association's application to participate in the parade on January 24th was stopped by the Chinese Government. The Chinese Embassy openly infringed Falun Gong practitioners' legal rights in France, the original upholders of human rights. At the same time, both the French police and the Paris City Authorities were placed under pressure by the Chinese Embassy.
Mr Helmer said in his letter, "I have received the enclosed letter from my constituent, Dr Li Shao and I'm very concerned by the contents of it. I have met Mr Shao and other Falun Gong Practitioners throughout the course of my parliamentary term and know in detail of the persecution practised by the Chinese regime against them. However, the possible exporting of these practices to EU Member States is completely unacceptable and I would be grateful of a reply to Mr Shao's accusations."
He pointed out that the attempt to extend such a persecution to member countries of the European Union is completely unacceptable. "Although most of us will never practise Falun Gong ourselves, the very democratic principles of the French Republic are there to protect peaceful minority lifestyle choices."
Canadian Survey Shows 63% of People Agree: Top Persecutor of Falun Gong Jiang Zemin Should Be Denied Entry to Canada
On January 21, a Canadian multi-cultural TV Station OMNI2 announced the results of a survey during its Chinese program: 63% of participants of the survey agree the former Chinese President Jiang Zemin should be denied entry into Canada due to his persecuting Falun Gong.
On January 20, 2004, representatives of the Falun Dafa Association of Canada and the renowned human rights lawyer Mr. Matas held a press conference at the Canadian Parliament. The news conference announced that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have opened a case about the persecution of Falun Gong in China and have accepted an initial list of 15 names, together with evidence of their crimes. The list includes: the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin; members of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo; Luo Gan, the head of 610 Office; and Liu Qi, the Mayor of Beijing . If these officials want to come to Canada, their visas will be denied, thus barring them from entering Canada, subjecting them to deportation, or exposing them to potential lawsuits by those who have already entered Canada.
With their headquarters in Toronto, the OMNI2 TV Station broadcast the news on the same day they conducted a telephone survey in the local Chinese Community.
The question of the survey was: "Do you think Jiang Zemin and other high ranking Chinese officials should be barred entry into Canada for persecuting Falun Gong?"
OMNI2 TV Station announced the survey results on January 21, 2004: 63% of the participants support barring entry for Jiang Zemin and into Canada.
The RCMP's Crimes Against Humanity and the War Crimes Program was originally established during the 1980s for war criminals of World War II. It was later extended to include modern war criminals and crimes against humanity. During fiscal 2001-2002, Canada refused to issue visas to 445 such criminals, deported 46, and investigated 667 individual cases.
The chairman of the Falun Dafa Association of Canada Mr. Li Xun says that Falun Gong practitioners have just handed in another list of 30 names and the evidence of their crimes in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners in China. They will file more lists of up to over 10,000 names of those who are suspected of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
Letter from a Member of European Parliament to the Mayor of Paris -- "Paris Should Not Have Yielded to Beijing!"
M Bert rand Delanoe
Mayor of Paris
Dear M Delanoe
Paris should not have yielded to Beijing!
I was saddened to learn that you yielded to pressure for the dictators of China and stopped the French Falun Gong practitioners from participating in the Chinese New Year parade in Paris.
France should have stayed true to European democratic and egalitarian principles by standing up to the pressure from China. China suppresses its own people and now France is allowing China to suppress the citizens of France from expressing their beliefs!
I can imagine that the dictators of China would not have been happy to have Falun Gong at the same ceremony. It happens everywhere in the world, The regime tries to exert pressure. If the democratic governments are not willing to stand up to evil wherever it exists, no one else will!
The image that the Chinese wish to present is one of a beautiful cultural show, friendship between nations ... but yet there is also a hidden dark side as many have been excluded from the festivities.
For example, the French Falun Gong Association requested to take part in the parade with performances of the Lion Dance, Chinese drummers, traditional dancing as well as presenting decorated floats. Such a presentation has already won the First Community Prize at the world renowned Edinburgh Festival Cavalcade. However, the Chinese Embassy threatened to cancel all of the festivities if the City of Paris allowed Falun Gong to participate. With less than a week to the event, the City Hall refused the application and, at first, vaguely implied that the registration date had not been met. The truth is that the documents were sent on time, back in October.
The French Flaun Gong Association was also not given authorizations for other activities during the festivity it had applied for, such as performing traditional Falun Gong exercises, and handing out information. They were sent from one department to another; Police Department, City Hall, Ministry of Foreign Affairs ... Other non-official voices, which the Chinese authorities have repressed, have also met with similar obstacles.
Will France, a land of freedom, allow a foreign regime to dictate rules on its own territory?
Today, the Chinese regime exerts the pressure and interference in democratic countries. The more one yields to this pressure (in order to gain political and commercial benefits), the more the regime will impose its human rights abuses on his country.
Falun Gong, a traditional school of exercise and meditation, clearly belongs to Chinese culture.
Apart from the tragic repression currently taking place in China, we wish to share the beauty and harmony of this culture, which is one of the treasures of China. And to wish everyone a happy new year filled with compassion and peacefulness. It's also an occasion to show to our Chinese brothers and sisters and the French public the peace and benevolence of Falun Gong in contrast to the demonisation by the Chinese state propaganda.
This ban on the participation of Falun Gong is all the more shocking as it strikes at a peaceful group which is respectful of the Law. Falun Gong is practised in over 60 countries and it has been exemplarily peaceful and has been awarded prizes and honours for its positive contribution to society. In China, despite the fact that Falun Gong practitioners face violent persecution and defamation, they have remained resolute and non-violent. The practice was introduced by Mr Li Hongzhi in 1992 and at the beginning it was supported by the Chinese authorities. The practice quickly spread by word of mouth with 100 million Chinese people practising it. This alarmed the former president Jiang Zemin who in July 1999 concocted the conspiracy plan to justify his order to ban the practice. He tried to discredit Falun Gong in the eyes of the Chinese people and the international community using smear tactics, while imposed extreme censorship by forbidding practitioners from speaking out. Falun Gong practice is free, entirely voluntary and open, with no political agenda. It focuses on self-development by applying traditional values of truth-compassion-tolerance. To a Western person, it's like an art of living, a philosophy of life. Practitioners are full and responsible members of society!
Where are you, who shouted at the top of your voice against the massacre of the students on Tiananmen Square in 1989?
Today, Falun Gong is the target of one of the most vicious persecutions in the world since 1945. In China, millions of innocent people are being defamed, hundreds of thousands are arbitrarily detained There is torture, rape and brainwashing. Someone dies every day ... Such human rights abuses should not be tolerated anywhere. The Chinese regime's attempt to export its persecution of Falun Gong to Paris must be resisted.
I hope that the Mayor of Paris will apologise to the French Falun Gong practitioners for the shabby way in which they have been treated.
Yours sincerely
Marco Cappato
MEP
Stockholm conference on Genocide: Lawyers' Open Letter to the Government of France
Ten lawyers attending the Stockholm conference on Genocide cosigned an open letter to the French government to express their strong concern after hearing about the detention of Falun Gong practitioners in Paris.
An Open Letter to the Government of France:
We, human rights attorneys from the U.S., Canada, Taiwan, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Spain, are deeply disturbed to hear that scores of practitioners of Falun Gong spiritual movement were detained yesterday by the police in Paris. It appears that these individuals were singled out for detention simply because they were wearing yellow scarves or yellow shirts, indicating that they were practitioners of Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual meditation exercise now banned in China. We understand that the individuals who were detained were peaceful and had not harmed or threatened anyone. This incident occurred during the official state visit to France by Hu Jintao, Secretary General of the Communist Party and President of the People's Republic of China. We regret that the French government failed to demonstrate its support for human rights in China and to urge that the Chinese government respect freedoms of conscience, expression, and association. The French government, through these acts of repression, has not only sent the wrong message to the Chinese government, it regrettably appears to have violated basic principles of civil and human rights. The French government's action raises disturbing questions about whether France is willing to restrict hard-won freedoms solely to appease the Communist Chinese state.
While together here at an international conference on genocide in Stockholm, Sweden, in affiliation with the Stockholm International Forum, we would like to call on the government of France to immediately initiate an investigation of this incident, and to ensure that essential human rights to freedom of association and freedom of belief are fully respected. France has been known as a democratic country with a long-standing history of liberty and freedom. What occurred yesterday brings doubt to the free world that France intends to respect that history.
Stockholm, January 28, 2004
Signed by:
Lana Han
Georges Henri Beauthier
Theresa Chu
Carlos Iglesias
Joshua Sondheimer
Mikala Hallund
Terri Marsh
Erkki Kannisto
Clive M. Ansley
Canadian MP Rob Anders: Canada Must Not Become a Safe Haven for War Criminals and Torturers
On January 20, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners and their attorney Mr. David Matas jointly held a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They requested that the Canadian government hold Chinese officials that persecute Falun Gong accountable, in keeping with Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program (CAHWCP). Human rights attorney David Matas announced that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has placed the case on file. Those suspected of persecution crimes against Falun Gong in China will be denied entry into Canada. If they are discovered entering Canada illegally, RCMP will immediately launch an investigation and possibly take legal action. Below is the statement by Member of Parliament Mr. Anders in support of the action.
January 20, 2004,
I would like to express my support for an initiative by Falun Gong practitioners. We should prohibit those involved in torture and crimes against humanity in China from coming to Canada. Senior officials responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong members in China should be indicted for crimes against humanity.
Those that have played an active role in these atrocities should not be granted entry to this country. If no action is taken against those who commit these crimes, there will be little to stop them from continuing.
Canada must not become a safe haven for war criminals and torturers. Our good will as a nation must not be taken advantage of. We not will tolerate the presence of heinous criminals in our country.
Rob Anders
MP for Calgary West
Mayor Larry Agran of Irvine: "I am Joined by Thousands of Americans Who Respectfully Request the Immediate Release of Dr. Charles Li"
Dear Ambassador Randt,
I have received numerous reports that thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in the People's Republic of China have been illegally arrested and sent to labor camps and mental hospitals without trial. This is a violation of China's own Constitution as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Also, there are many credible reports of torture and other cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment of detained Falun Gong practitioners. Even American citizens have been arrested. This pattern of persecution constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental human rights to freedom of conscience, expression, and assembly.
The U.S. government has been unequivocal in its opposition to China's action against Falun Gong. In November of 1999 the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Resolution 218, with the U.S. Senate concurring, which condemned Beijing's actions and called for the immediate release of all jailed practitioners. A new, even stronger resolution, HR 188, was introduced in July of 2002.
President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell have spoken out and issued statements. Governments around the world have responded with similar force. Human rights groups and other organizations such as Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights, and the National Organization for Women, have been outspoken in their support of Falun Gong's right to freedom of expression.
I urge you to transmit this letter to the appropriate Chinese officials and to otherwise bring about an immediate end to China's human rights violations. In this connection, I am joined by thousands of Americans who respectfully request the immediate release of Dr. Charles Li, an American citizen, and any other prisoners of conscience.
Sincerely,
Larry Agran
Mayor
Cc: President George Bush
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Barbara Boxer
Secretary of State Colin Powell
Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly
International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) Austria Encourages Mayor of Paris to Respect Human Rights, Reject Chinese Embassy's Interference
The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) is an international human rights organization founded in Frankfurt, Germany. Regarding the attempt by the Chinese embassy in Paris to stop Falun Gong practitioners from participating in Chinese New Year activities, the President of ISHR Austria wrote the following letter to the Mayor of Paris:
15. January 2004
Dear Mayor,
As the president of ISHR I was surprised to have heard from media that the Chinese embassy in Paris tried to stop the Falun Gong practitioners from taking part in the activities for Chinese New Year, which they applied for, in France, the birthplace of human rights. The French Falun Gong association is legally registered and is recognized by French authorities through its benevolent activities since its establishment four years ago and through its respect of our laws.
We would like to ask you to allow the practitioners to take pat in the activities which they applied for. Paris is the capital of France and we are convinced that this will be a further example of "Freedom, Equity and Fraternity."
Yours sincerely,
Katharina Grieb,
President of ISHR Austria
China: Ms. Xu Shuxiang Dies As A Result of Torture in Police Custody - Tied to a Tiger-Bench for 48 Hours
It has been confirmed that Ms. Xu Shuxiang, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Changchun City, Jilin Province, died on January 18, 2004 as a result of police torture.
Sources report that on November 13, 2003, Ms. Xu Shuxiang was abducted from her home by the Changchun City "610 Office" and police. They locked her in a secret room, and tortured her. The torture included tying her to a tiger bench [for illustrations, please check http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/24/16156.html] for 48 hours, which seriously injured her ankle and led to an infection. Because she was in such a poor physical state from the torture, no detention center would accept her, and police sent her home on November 30, 2003.
She was unconscious when she was returned home, and died later on January 18, 2004.
China: Witness and Suffer Tortures With Drill Causing Gaping Wounds and Exposing Bones in Forced Labor Camp
On April 5, 2002, I was brought to a room that was used specially for torturing Falun Gong practitioners. I witnessed that one person's four limbs were tightly shackled to the four corners of a bed frame. There was no bed-board on the bed, only a piece of wood holding up his neck. It looked like he had been tied there for a long time, and the police were shocking him repeatedly with electric batons.
After I entered the room, the police beat me several times, and then called in some assistants and stripped my clothing off. I was pushed down to the floor naked. Someone firmly held my feet, while another person stretched out my arms. They stuffed a dirty towel into my mouth then started to drill into my armpits and behind my knees with an indigenous drill that consisted of a hard plastic tube with four cuts at the end. They kept drilling this hard plastic tube into me for more than ten minutes while I was screaming with pain. When the policeman became tired, he called in another assistant to keep drilling. The assistant thought I was dead, I heard him saying he could see the white bone through a hole they drilled under my arm. That spot on my body quickly became infected and festered into a gaping hole with rotten flesh that smelled terribly.
Later they started to drill the other practitioner in the room, I believe his name is Huang Yaodong. He was drilled twice, leaving four holes in his body, one of which under his arm decayed into a fist-size hole that took several months to heal. Jiutai City Hospital wanted to hospitalize him for treatment, yet the labor camp authorities had him carried back to the camp using the excuse that there was no money to pay the treatment.
I heard that practitioners Wu Dexiu and Liu Qinghua were also drilled like this here in Jiutai. In addition, the police smeared toothpaste in Liu Qinghua's eyes.
China: The Savage Tortures at the Hehuakeng Labor Camp in Tangshan City
The following are two kinds of tortures that authorities use for physically abusing imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners at the Hehuakeng Labor Camp in Tangshan City.
The torture method "Tightening Rope" utilizes a finger-size hemp rope soaked in water. The persecutors set it on the victim's neck, and tightly wrap it around the arms. In order to maximize the pain for the victim, they often strip the practitioner down to his underwear. Usually, over three persecutors work together to apply this torture. When the rope reaches the wrists, it is tightened. They pull the practitioner's hands behind his back, both ends of the rope are inserted through the portion of the rope on the neck, then two persecutors forcefully pull down both ends of the rope as hard as they can and then tie it. At this time, the blood circulation is cut off and the victim will experience increased heart rate, excruciating pain in both arms and within a few minutes, heavy sweating. In order to make sure the rope is as tight as can be, the persecutors insert glass bottles and wooden sticks under practitioner's wrists, so the rope will sink deep into his flesh. Meanwhile, they also slap the practitioner's face and shock him with electric baton(s). Each session of "Tightening Rope" lasts ten to twenty minutes. After the rope is loosened, the victim has lost the feeling in his arms, and it takes a long time to regain it. For those who have experienced this torture, their arms are often disabled in severe cases, or they cannot raise their arms or they lose some function in the arms. The marks left on the arms by the rope usually don't disappear for one or two years.
In the torture method "Dead Person's Bed," the victim is stretched out flat on a bed and his feet are tied to two opposite bed poles; then his hands are stretched above the head and cuffed to the other two bed poles, so the victim cannot make the slightest movement. They put bricks under the victim's body and hit his legs with wooden rods. The policemen order inmates to stomp on his body and poke his ribcage with hands or rods. In the heat of summer, they cover the practitioner with several layers of quilts and don't give him any water. Many imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners who suffered the "stretching bed" torture could not lift their arms because were extremely sore and numb.
The latest victim who died as a result of tortures in the Hehuakeng Labor Camp is Mr. Li Shuli. He used to live in Changli County, Qihuangdao City. Because of practicing Falun Gong, he was abducted on December 10, 2002 and jailed in camp. After three months detention, he was further detained in solitary confinement and was tortured with "Tightening Rope" and "Stretching Bed." Li Shuli was later diagnosed with tuberculosis. He died in December 2003.
China: Sixty-Year-Old Lady Dies After Being Tortured from Labor Camp
Wang Ruxin was a 60-year-old retired worker from the Forest Construction Bureau in Yakeshi, Inner Mongolia. In late April 2001, the security section of her work place illegally arrested her. Without any legal procedure, the police sentenced her to two years of forced labor education and sent her to the Tumuji Labor Camp in Inner Mongolia.
While in detention the police tortured her relentlessly. A once healthy elderly lady was turned into a person plagued with illnesses. The labor camp hospital diagnosed her illness as breast cancer. Refusing to take any responsibility, the labor camp released her on medical parole. After Ms. Wang returned home, she went to her work place to ask for her pensions. However, her employer colluded with the "610 Office" again sent her to the Huhehaote Labor Camp in Inner Mongolia.
Because of the torture, Ms. Wang's breast cancer worsened and was diagnosed to be in the late stage. The labor camp did not want to increase its number of deaths by torture, so they sent her home. But after she returned, the authorities stopped her pensions and kept harassing her. In late October 2003, Wang Ruxin died from the illness and non-stop harassment.
Chicago Tribune: Falun Gong supporters appeal suit dismissal
Attorneys for Falun Gong practitioners Tuesday appealed a federal court's dismissal of a suit they filed charging former Chinese President Jiang Zemin with violating the rights of the movement's followers.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly dismissed the original case in September because foreign heads of state are protected from civil lawsuits in the United States. But because Jiang is no longer president, the case should be reconsidered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, said Falun Gong attorney, Terri Marsh.
"Once they leave office, they're fair game," she said. "The status of a head of state is very different from that of a former head of state. ... Immunity is not impunity."
She cited similarities in the Jiang case to a class-action lawsuit against Ferdinand Marcos, won by nearly 10,000 Filipinos in 1995. The plaintiffs won a $1.9 billion judgment against their former leader's estate in federal court in Hawaii and later reached a $160 million settlement.
The case against Jiang does not specify a dollar amount because it is not about money, said Marsh.
"I think it would change the situation in China," said Marsh, who has been practicing Falun Gong since 2000 and is handling the case pro bono. "If there is a favorable ruling, I think there's a good chance persecution will stop and it'll be saving thousands of lives." Jiang has not responded to the lawsuit. Calls to the Chinese embassy in Washington were not returned.
Falun Gong is a spiritual movement encompassing exercise and meditation, its followers say. [...]
The original case was filed in the Northern District of Illinois in October 2002 when Jiang, then president of China, was touring the U.S. The suit was served on a Chicago police commander and several U.S. Secret Service agents guarding Jiang at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, according to court documents.
The complaint alleged "horrific human rights abuses" suffered by six plaintiffs who were unidentified because of possible retribution to them or their families in China, Marsh said. It also named Illinois resident Wei Ye and Massachusetts resident Hao Wang, who were unable to travel from the U.S. to Iceland to protest a Jiang visit there because of an alleged blacklist.
The U.S. Department of Justice requested the case be dismissed in a friend of the court brief based on Jiang's former head-of-state status and because he was never personally served with the lawsuit. But 38 members of Congress requested that the suit move forward.
Radio Free Asia: Chinese Diplomats Block Falun Gong's Application to Participate in the Chinese New Year Parade in Paris
Falun Gong practitioners and many others in Paris are objecting to the Chinese government's extending the persecution [of Falun Gong] and those with different beliefs to France during the Spring Festival celebrations. Below is a summary of events as reported by Radio Free Asia reporter Tian Yi on January 16.
As city authorities in Paris invited the Beijing government to assist in holding the celebrations this year, it appeared that an inharmonious atmosphere arose from the applications of various groups that were to participate. For this reason, this reporter interviewed Mr. Zhang Jianping, a spokesman for the European Falun Gong Information Centre in Paris.
Mr. Zhang Jianping said, "The Paris city authority organized a Chinese New Year parade for Chinese residents on Avenue des Champs Elysees. It is a public and Chinese-culture-related activity. Falun Gong is a group legally registered in France and has the right to participate. We then made an application. However, the application was illegally interfered with by the Chinese Embassy. Their only excuse was illegal suppression by the Chinese government."
In particular, Mr. Zhang Jiangping highlighted, "Why do we have the right to participate in this parade? It is because in western societies, anyone or any group should not be discriminated against because of their belief, point of view, race or religion. Originally a cultural matter, the Chinese Embassy made it a political matter via diplomatic methods. It is absolutely not acceptable for the Chinese Embassy to extend such a persecution to a western democratic society.
In response, Falun Gong took action to protect their interests. Mr. Zhang Jiangping said, "Now we have active contact with various channels, including human rights groups, political circles in France, the police departments in Paris, and the city authorities in Paris. France, in particular, is a country that highly advocates human rights. It might even be said that France is where human rights were born. So we must stick to our beliefs; we cannot yield under great pressure from a dictatorship."
At the same time, they also are organizing a large-scale activity to respond to the Beijing government. "We have also invited Falun Gong practitioners from various countries to celebrate the Chinese New Year with the Chinese people. We expect that there will be several hundreds or even thousands of Falun Gong practitioners coming here. We also have applied for a series of activities for this.
In addition, to the reporter's understanding, the action taken by Falun Gong practitioners has gained support from many other Chinese groups and some human rights groups in France. We are also preparing to hold a large-scale press conference in Paris.
Arizona Daily Star: Chinese Torture
It is one thing for the U.S. government to sit by idly as thousands of Chinese are tortured for following the spiritual path of Falun Gong. That's benign neglect and simply repugnant. But it's disgusting when the State Department takes on the responsibility of defending the People's Republic's great torturer and murderer Jiang Zemin in a federal court in Illinois.
Thousands of Chinese have been tortured for practicing Falun Gong. It is impossible to know how many. China, for all its economic inclinations toward capitalism, is a closed society, a dictatorship that routinely tramples basic human rights.
Terri Marsh, an attorney for Falun Gong, filed a lawsuit against Jiang as the persecutor of Falun Gong followers. State Department attorneys argued Jiang was immune to such a lawsuit because he serves as a head of state. A federal judge agreed and dismissed the case.
Tuesday Marsh filed an appeal with the 7th District Court of Appeals in Illinois. She said in part: "To say or speak the words 'Compassion, Tolerance, and Truthfulness' [the fundamental principles of Falun Gong] is a crime in China, which brings up to 18 years of jail time, murder by torture, and forms of torture, which not even the most evil of minds could conceive. Torture of infants, young mothers, young children, the elderly, the strong and able. No one is excluded."
There is no reason for optimism. It's not likely the appeals court will take the case. U.S. foreign policy takes little note of China's human rights abuses.
The Falun Gong have been persecuted in China since 1999. It was then that the movement had grown to an estimated 100 million Chinese, which was perhaps twice the number of people in the Communist Party. Jiang considered the movement's astonishing growth as a threat. He outlawed anyone who followed it.
The Chinese government contends the Falun Gong is [slanderous words omitted]. It has been banned "to protect the basic human rights and freedom of the Chinese system and to uphold its constitution and laws." It is an absurd accusation.
Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi, appeared on television this week. He said China's leaders "couldn't tolerate so many people practicing Falun Gong. It's a form of jealousy. This jealousy led to the oppression." Li was correct in naming Jiang as "the most evil person in China. The whole world can see his stupidity, his cruelty."
Falun Gong is a spiritual pursuit. It is not a religion or a cult. It offers a spiritual prescription for life and poses no political threat to any government. Its practitioners are apolitical. However, they are also resolute and will continue to suffer incredible torture and abuse in fighting for their rights.
The People Awaken to the Truth
China: Non-Falun Gong Practitioner Asks Police "Why Do You Persecute Such Good People?"
I am a resident of Daqing City. Although I do not practice Falun Gong, I cannot understand why Falun Gong practitioners are persecuted. I know some people who practice Falun Gong. They are indeed good people. They have become healthier through doing the exercises. By following the principles of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance, they no longer argue over personal loss or gains. With higher standards of morality, they often help other people.
Public security is very poor in Daqing City. I feel bad that the police force is not used to reduce crime, but instead it is squandered on the persecution of Falun Gong. Furthermore, Daqing police are very aggressive in suppressing Falun Gong. I heard that the National Security Bureau of Daqing City only targets Falun Gong.
I often read the truth-clarification materials distributed by Falun Gong practitioners. So far, 24 Falun Gong practitioners in Daqing City have died as a result of the persecution. This number makes Daqing rank second within our province, right after Harbin City, where 27 practitioners have been tortured to death. Actually, this number is the highest nationwide for a district city. I was shocked by the police's brutality which includes sexual abuse, freezing, piercing with bamboo needles, burning people alive, forced sitting on an iron chair for a long time, tying and stretching on a "dead man's bed" (a kind of torture where a special bed is used to tie practitioners to). The sad thing is that these tortures are real! After observing Falun Gong practitioners for a few years, you should know what kind of people they are.
Falun Gong practitioners have been deprived of their personal freedom, and they don't have the freedom of belief granted by our constitution. They have even been deprived of the right to speak the truth. Why are these good people treated so badly?
Falun Gong can indeed improve people's minds. If everyone in our society were like them, that is, if there were no greed, no stealing, no lying and no harming of others, our country would surely be prosperous and strong! Falun Gong practitioners are just like our family members, and everything they do is just to let us know the truth so we can stop doing bad deeds. All they ask is a peaceful practice environment. As a police officer, if you do not protect their basic human rights, but instead mistreat and suppress them, don't you feel ashamed?
You should be doing good deeds for society. Please fulfill the responsibility of a police officer and act according to your conscience.
Three Stories of People in China Who Learned the Truth
Head Nurse: What Falun Gong Tells People is Reasonable
When I was giving people Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials on one occasion, the police abducted me. To protest against the persecution, I went on a hunger strike. While I was being force fed in a hospital, a nurse who did not know the truth asked me why I did not value my young life. I told her, "Not only do I value my own life, I also value the lives of people who do not know the truth about Falun Gong. I am using my life to awaken them, so they understand that Falun Dafa is good because it tells people about Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. Don't be poisoned by the authorities' lies; each person should take responsibility for his or her own life." Meanwhile, the head nurse rushed in saying, "In my view, what Falun Gong has told people is reasonable. What kind of society have we become? If everyone had done what Falun Gong asks for, the society would have become good a long time ago." More than twenty people were listening quietly in the room, and no one said a word to object.
The Model Policeman
On the evening of July 19, 1999, a chief of a police station called me to confirm that the situation was very serious and asked me to leave my home for a while.
On one evening during the beginning of August 1999, at least ten cars were parked in front of my house, and a group people were searching for Falun Gong books in my home. They were from the Public Security Bureau, County Committee, Judiciary, and Broadcast Radio Station and other places. I had a full bag of Falun Dafa books in my clothes cabinet. As onlookers glared, a police officer who was searching the cabinet moved the bag of Falun Dafa books into the back of the cabinet, covered the books up with clothes and then shouted, "Nothing here!"
After Practitioners Posted Information Exposing the Persecution
Throughout the city and the countryside in the Chengzhou area of Hunan Province, people have seen materials exposing the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The "Public Letter for Chengzhou People" was posted in many places. The letter listed many of the persecutors of Falun Gong practitioners. This shocked and scared the evildoers.
To shirk responsibility, the head of "610 Office" ["610 Office:" a bureau specifically created by Jiang Zemin to persecute Falun Gong. It has power over each level of administration in the Party, as well as over the political and judicial branches of government] said, "That was what the Public Security Bureau did, we could do nothing about it..."
A member of Public Security Bureau who for a long time had previously tortured practitioners said, "This is the best one since practitioners started posting truth materials about Falun Gong; those people whose names are publicized are very bad..."
A person who understood society's laws said, "The people who practice Falun Gong have done nothing wrong. How could the practitioners be imprisoned for long periods of time and be tortured to death? Since ancient times, if someone was killed, the killer would pay with his life for what he had done. However, today the killers don't have to pay. There is no law anymore..."
Another person said, "Look, one more Falun Gong Practitioner was beaten to death by them..."
A communist cadre member who was about to retire said, "Where can I find Zhuan Falun..."
A young worker said, "The 'Public Letter for Chengzhou People' tells us how to get on email lists to learn the truth about Falun Gong; I will get on the email lists and read the truth..."
An elementary school student asked, "Is this true...?"
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
Critical Illnesses Disappear - A Family of Practitioners' Recover Health
By a practitioner from Hebei Province, China
Gout, hypothyroidism, breast gland changes, enarthrosis inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis and others; a total of over a dozen illnesses had been torturing me before I started practicing Falun Dafa. My medical expenses were ten thousand yuan (about twenty months' income of an urban worker). Gout did not permit me to eat certain foods. If I ate them, the disease would create more crystalline structures, causing excruciating pain. The hypothyroidism made my whole body retain fluid and swell. I feared wind and cold. I would wear a heavy jacket and boots, even in the hottest summer. I could not fall asleep at night.
Suffering as I did, I often had thoughts of suicide. In October 1996, I started to practice Falun Gong. After seven days of practice, the edema vanished, and my arms could move freely. The other illnesses healed too. In these seven years of practicing, I haven't taken a single pill. Now I don't mind wind and cold, can eat any food and don't have any problem walking 3 or 4 kilometers (2 or 3 miles). Prior to that, it took me 30 to 40 minutes to walk 50 meters (about 165 feet) with the support of others. In such a short time Falun Gong saved me from the brink of death and made me a healthy person. It is truly miraculous!
When my daughter-in-law was 34 years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia. She had been hospitalized for three months, but the illness was not cured. Her red blood cell count was extremely low. Her whole body was swollen. She was pale and her whole situation looked hopeless. Faced with this, she started to practice Falun Gong. After one week of practice, her red blood cell count went up. After practicing less than 20 days, her red blood cell level went back to normal. She went to the hospital for a routine check-up after that. Everything had been restored to normal! The doctor, pointing to her medical record told her, "We had 36 leukemia patients. 35 of them have left this world. Only you're still here." Then my daughter-in-law told doctor, "I practice Falun Gong." She told me that she is even healthier now than she was before she had gotten ill.
In September 2001, my older brother, 61 years old, had advanced-stage lung cancer, a malignant tumor on the right side of his trachea, and one lung had already collapsed. His left lung was still functioning and the medical treatment he received didn't work. All he could do was to go back home, waiting to die. Back then, my brother, weighing only 30 kilograms (about 70 pounds), was sallow and emaciated. He had lost almost all his hair. He could not eat anything; even breathing was difficult. He had fever, a swollen face, feet and legs, with white blood cell count was way down to 1800, compared to normal people that should have a white blood cell count of 8000-10000. I let him listen to Master Li's lecture audiotapes four hours a day, and instructed him in the exercises. Four days later, He felt cold, nauseated, and vomited, but less than an hour later, he felt strengthened, and the fever and the swelling disappeared. From then on he never had fever and edema again. Many medical check-ups revealed his white blood cell count was normal four months later. After a year of Falun Gong practice, he had gained 20 kilograms (about 45 puonds) and his hair started to grow again. After more than two years of practice, he is now very healthy.
Falun Gong made my brother, my daughter-in-law and me well again, showing its miraculous workings and power.
Patient with Late-Stage Stomach Cancer Recovers after Practicing Falun Gong
By A Practitioner From Tangshang City, China
I am 36 years old. I was diagnosed with late stage stomach cancer in July 2003. My entire family was in deep grief when they heard the news. I had to stay in the hospital and have surgery to remove the cancer. The high costs of the surgery and medical treatments caused conflicts between my side and my husband's side of the family. My own family would spend every penny and sell the house just to let me live a few more days. The two families started arguing endlessly. A friend of mine told me Falun Gong was good and gave me the book Zhuan Falun. She took me to a practitioner's and I stated to practice Falun Gong every day.
Since then, I arranged my daily schedule so that I could read the books and do the exercises in the morning and evening every day. I only had one-fifth of my stomach left after the surgery; it was like a fine tube that could not hold any amount of food. The first lunch I had after starting to practice Falun Gong, instead of four small dumplings, I broke the record and had a bowl of rice. The next time I ate lunch, I had a bowl of dumplings. I gradually increased the amount of fruit I ate, from one slice a day to the whole fruit.
The fourth day, I wanted to go out on the street, but I was worried about my lower back. I could not even lie down and get up easily; how was I supposed to walk? I wanted to call for a ride like I usually did, but my friend said, "You should be able to walk. You are a practitioner now and you are healthy." I felt energetic, like I was another person. My husband saw this change and said happily, "It is Falun Gong that saved you and our entire family." Family and friends saw that I was getting healthier every day, and they all said, "It is Falun Gong that saved you. We want to learn it as well."